Come Away Oh Human Child
by The Midnight Rain
Summary: When a dream bereft Sarah finds herself making a wish she had no intentions of making, she discovers what happens when you leave a king to his own devices.
1. To the waters and the wild

**Disclaimer**: I do not own sexy, sexy, sexy, Jareth, Sarah or anything else amazing that is associated with Jim Henson or the film of Labyrinth. (But hell, I wish I did.) Or the Poem 'Stolen Child' by William Butler Yeats. A great amount of thanks to Litrouke, for being my Beta, you make commas beautiful.

* * *

She packed away her things, the remnants of childhood, feeling more and more grown up as she filed herself away in cardboard boxes and duct tape. Toby now played with her toys; a neighbourhood girl with a flair for dramatics received her dress up clothes. Sitting in the maelstrom of self-renovation, Sarah felt nostalgia creep upon her.

'_Just once more,' _She thought, a hand idly brushing the spine of a book of fairy tales. Moving to stand she wound the dancing music box, and luxuriated in the sweet melody. The notes hung golden in the air, sweeping along the room and joining with the dusty sunlight which filtered through her window. She swayed along to the tune, eyes slipping closed, and dancing by herself. Then the sound took on a fractured quality, the notes splitting and echoing until they crowded upon her mind. They forced her to stop and open her eyes, and see the sun had vanished by some hand. The cold feeling that crept up her spine brought her back to earth completely, and a word – no, not a word. A name slipped past her lips. A chill wind picked up, the high whistling cries screeching past her window. Terror, she knew it then; adrenaline and excitement ricocheted around her ribcage.

'_Fight or flight, fight or flight,' _She repeated in her head like a mantra. The music slowed and then stopped; the wind died down and the sun evaded the lonely cloud. She sagged with relief and an emotion she could only call disappointment. Sarah slowly uncurled her fists. Greedily she sucked in air and did the only thing she would let herself do. With a proud toss of her hair, she finished packing up her things and fled the room in what she would continue to reassure herself was a ladylike fashion. Reality would have it otherwise with her white face and trembling limbs as she stumbled over boxes and out the door. Heart racing, she had an errant though and dashed to Toby's room. The child was safe, napping in his bed, the window valence shading his serene face. Breathing a sigh of relief Sarah moved to a wooden rocking char and fell asleep watching Toby. She did not dream.

* * *

Some have stated that humans would go mad if they did not dream. It was a method for people to store and retain information that had overwhelmed the senses during the day. Sarah did not doubt that she was crazier than she would like to admit. Nineteen and sharing a dorm room with an uninteresting girl, she drifted more and more into apathy. For hours, she could stare at the ceiling, creating worlds that never existed-- friends she never made.

Shaking the oppression of boredom and cobwebs of laziness, the girl forced herself to pull on a jacket and leave the room. A purse slung over her shoulder, she ferreted about for a moment before retrieving a sleek black cell phone. Entering a number by heart, she listened with impatience to a dial tone before a sleepy "Hello," made her smile.

"I'm going stir crazy. If I listen to the florescent lights any longer, I think ritually sacrificing my roommate will constitute for an evening's entertainment." A beat passed before the voice on the other end replied in an amused but we'll-talk-about-sacrifice-later manner.

"I'll meet you at The Den in five-minutes. I have to put some clothes on," the voice was low and decidedly male. Raising an eyebrow invisible to the receiver of the call, Sarah smiled to herself.

"It's only nine o'clock on a Saturday night and you are honestly asleep," she teased lightly.

"I didn't say I was sleeping." Rolling her eyes, Sarah hung up the phone and altered course.

The campus was a fairly large place and The Den, as it was so aptly named, was nestled in MacKimmie Hall. Residence was a five minute walk from there and offered something bars and pubs could not; the comfort of familiarity. Her shadow flitted between the lights, and each time darkness claimed it, Sarah felt relief to stand once more beneath the brilliance of electricity. The cold slid its way along her hands. The warm atmosphere of her destination, and the lack thereof in her current position, brought her sharply back to the present. Was it supernatural, or just bad weather? Were those footsteps behind her? A quick glance told her no, but for all she tried, she could not shake the feeling of being followed.

The constant disappearance of her shadow made her feel uncomfortable, disliking the illusion it gave of her own non-existence. Inceasing her pace, Sarah tried to calm her irrational heart which began to speed up. Clutching her purse close to her, she resolved to bludgeon any attacker to death with its contents. She had not thought a scientific calculator would come in handy once she had passed the introductory finances course as was required for her degree. Now, the heavy piece of mathematical wonder served as her number one instrument of doom.

"Come and get me you sonovabitch, make my app function," she joked weakly to herself, her breath streaming behind her like a visible soul. Her dark hair swayed; a scythe in the gloom, and taking comfort from this rhythmic motion, she let her steps slow. In the distance, she could see the lights of Mac Hall. Feeling the same as she imagined a disheartened sailor feels upon discovering the lighthouse her shoulders began to loosen.

The tension eased as she grew closer to her perceived safety. 'I_ feel as if I've awoken from a terrible dream,'_ she thought, recalling those juvenile delusions of being chased. Time had seemed slow as she had followed the pavement to Machall, and the absurd fear which had slammed into her felt nostalgic. Her actions had the character of the Actress she had once longed to become. Years of subduing the burgeoning diva had done her well. In its place were patience, a quickness to accept, and a solemnity with which she viewed the world. Her temporary moment of insanity was only a flash of the person she had been.

"How long has it been," she mused out loud, speaking to a nearby light post for companionship, "since I have dreamt?" The last dream she could recall was as fragmented as the music that still haunted her waking hours. Then with a frivolity that did not fit her mood, she announced, "sometimes," affecting a conspiratorial whisper she leaned towards the lamppost. "I wish I could still dream."

Sick realization grew; the pit of her stomach churned as the snowbound earth began to feel warm in comparison to the wind. The giddiness that she likened to being intoxication disappeared.

"No." She croaked mouth dry. "That wasn't fair." Her mind clamoured against animal instincts that told her that she had been taken for a fool. That someone was truly stalking her and even as helplessness clawed at her mind it warred with anger. "You took away my barriers…" The wind had died down, and for a moment she relaxed again. _'You're overreacting. The air is suddenly colder, and in winter might I add, and you are accusing a lamppost. Glad to see you made it to university.'_ Wryly, she mocked.

"Oh, life is not always fair, Sarah." Clipped and cultured the smooth voice rolled over her. It stripped her bare and exposed her as a coward. Her legs refused to answer to her demands, and she stood rooted to the ground. Cursing under her breath she waited for a long minute before forcing herself to take a step forward. The sound of drums pushed against her common sense and she had to clamp down in order to not run screaming into the darkness. Surveying the area around her cautiously, Sarah spun about many times before she felt reassured of her psychosis.

"I need to get out more," she told herself moodily, still feeling ill from fear. Blaming insanity she began to wobble on her way again. She fixed her gaze straight ahead and instantly her liver became acquainted with her lungs.

He was directly in front, one eye darker than her terror, the other blue and innocent as a summer sky. Taking a stumbling step back, she slowly coaxed air back into her chest. Summoning a false bravado she utilized her acting skills to appear entirely at ease. The physical change was instantaneous although the queasiness did not dissipate.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She asked, acidly sweet, fighting to contain the shock and panic that his appearence had caused.. Her hand inched its way towards her purse, fingers wrapping one by one around the T1-84 calculator. Tsking, the imposing figure bent towards her, condescension written in every line of his face.

"Come now, Sarah. Is that how you would greet an old friend with a gift?" His hair was shorter than she remembered; he had evidently changed with the times as well. The long tendrils that accompanied a larger amount of fluffed and spiked hair had evolved to a closer cropped (and be damned if she would admit it to herself) sex-in-every-imaginable-place-style.

"You've been neither friend nor the best gift giver, so excuse my doubt and reluctance,"she retorted, withdrawing the calculator and whipping it hard at his head. She did not wait to see if it met its mark, though a satisfying thud sent a thrill of victory through her as she fled towards the bright lights. She was brought up short by a very sharp tug on her wrist.

"Now what did you hope to accomplish with that ill-fated attempt to escape?" He questioned, anger rising like steam from his form.

"Well it sounded like it hurt, and it sure as hell made me feel better." She told him, before falling silent. The minutes passed by, the stony facade revealed no sign of intention. Frowning, Sarah checked her fear enough to break the stillness.

"I uh…I have a hot date tonight, so I would love to stay and chat, but I really must be off." Cutting herself of, she silently forbade her tongue to ever move again. Despite her babbling, her words managed to grab the man's attention. Sneering, his grip tightened on her wrist elevating discomfort to a level of pain.

"I am afraid that you will be absent from your social outing. We have matters of business to discuss, you and I." Swallowing the lump in her throat, she tugged fiercely on her arm until he let it go with a raised brow.

"I didn't think we had unsettled accounts…" She started, unsure.

I owe you a large debt, little girl; one that must be repaid in full." The predatory look was more than she could process at once: horror, rage, and what she blamed as excess estrogen, raced through her trembling state. His eyes narrowed, directing a strong unnameable emotion right at her. The jagged half grin switched unceasingly between terrifying and sexy. "It is not every day that a teenage girl destroys my kingdom and unmans the king."

'_I don't like the way this is going….'_ Sarah thought. "Goblin King, I…I didn't mean any harm. Well, that much harm," she admitted with trepidation.

"Neither do I, sweet Sarah. Let us see what comes of this." A hand pressed against her mouth, the smell of a summer orchard overwhelming her. She struggled vainly, her knees becoming gelatinous. Then her traitorous vocal chords uttered the one thing she had kept locked away in her heart, deeper than regret and despair.

"Jareth."

Long after Sarah had succumbed to unconsciousness, the Goblin King stood over her figure, eyes moving with unabashed interest over her changed shape. Then, with a feeling of tenderness and perhaps pity, or simple mockery, he lifted her into his arms. Absentmindedly brushing the snow from her hair, his hands trailed in the strands as if feeling fine silk. "You will be made to bleed, my love," he murmured his voice a lover's caress.

How Jareth is an insufferable bastard

He makes her have all the dreams she missed out on since she returned from the labyrinth. (How many nightmares does the average person have?)

With a feeling of grudging resentment, Sarah found herself being pulled into awareness. Memories flooded back to her one by one until going back to sleep and waking up in a world that made sense was vastly appealing. Accepting defeat and opening her eyes a feeling of nausea swept over her. Swallowing the urge to vomit, she pressed her eyes tightly shut and vowed to never move again.


	2. With a Faerie Hand in Hand

**Disclaimer**: Nope, I don't own Labyrinth or the wonderful poem by Yeats, or any Jim Henson ...well anything really.

* * *

With a feeling of grudging resentment, Sarah found herself being pulled into awareness. Memories flooded back to her one by one until going back to sleep and waking up in a world that made sense was vastly appealing. Accepting defeat and opening her eyes a feeling of nausea swept over her. Swallowing the urge to vomit, she pressed her eyes tightly shut and vowed to never move again. 

"The feeling will pass in a moment." Jareth's smug voice rang from somewhere to her left. The very tone made Sarah wish she could spontaneously develop the ability to kill others with her mind.

"The feeling wouldn't have to pass if you could have just stayed in your damn labyrinth and left me alone." She snapped back irritably, forcing down the queasiness so she could sit upright.

Taking several deep breaths, she peeked from beneath long lashes to see that Jareth was to her right instead of the left. Cursing his misdirection she instead let her gaze fall on a bowl of fruit in front of her. Then taking further stock of her situation, she clutched her hands together so as to not betray the fact that they were trembling.

"Where…where am I?" Unnerved, Sarah looked about her wildly, ignoring the pounding headache until she no longer noticed it.

"No need to play games, you know exactly where you are." Jareth drawled, arrogant satisfaction in his voice. With growing dread, she realized that she did know where she was. Her only response was a quick grimace and an angry thought.'_Well shit,'_ She cursed to herself.

"Who was it that you were supposed to meet?" Although it was worded as a question, the force with which he asked turned it into a demand.

"No one..." She murmured, unwilling to bring her friend into the same trouble that she found herself in.

"Oh, do not be so noble, Sarah." With disgust, Jareth pulled away. "I'm sure we willl find out soon enough." Crossing in front of her, he bent over the bowl of fruit. His hovering unnerved her, and she could not help but recall her last run in with labyrinthian fruit.

"Ah- a bitter one indeed." He called merrily, as if a song were beneath the surface of his words. Then, he turned to her.

"This time I will give you exactly what you want. You will accept my gift." Pressing into her hand, a perfect grape, he smiled that damnable knowing smile.

She wanted to throw the inconspicuous fruit from her. Wanted to watch the perfect globe bounce and break, though she knew grapes did not break but split. Unable to move, Jareth reached out a gloved hand, stroking her wrist and arm. Then, with a gentle grip, he lifted her hand to her mouth. Compelled, she parted her lips obediently as the grape pressed against them. It took but a moment to chew before her vision swam before her. Sarah began to dream.

The world was in muted colours. Pastel and charcoal shadows blended together and she felt as if she were on some large portrait and should she look closely, she would see a blurry white border around her reality. Squinting, she could see only the desert. In a distant way, she noted the air was acrid and burning her lungs. Sand shifted between her feet, the feeling of warmth became quickly overwhelming. Pressing forward, she moved in the most logical direction, sure that she would find someone or something. It was an instinctual knowledge that kept her moving, kept her from giving in to her terrible thirst. Before long, she saw people in the distance. Heart overjoyed she urged her feet to move.

"Stop," She cried out, desperation in her tone. "Wait!"

The figures paused, turning one by one until they were facing her. They remained dark shapes although this did nothing to alarm her. Smiling with relief she began to run again. As one, the group began their trek anew as if they had not seen her at all. Shouting louder, her pace began to slacken until only the shimmering air in that barren land was visible. Tears of frustration ran down her face, and she knew then that she was alone. Abandonment- She had been battling this feeling ever since her mother had left. Once, long ago she had been too willing to abandon something else that was precious. She recalled everything as she knelt in the sand. Toby… the goblins, the labyrinth and the king. Whipping past her face, roughening her cheeks and blowing into her mouth, the sand mercilessly buffeted her.

"This is a nightmare." She thought, throat too dry to speak. Chest heaving she spread her hands out in the sand, idly running them through the heated particles. That was when she realized it. "This is a nightmare." Her voice gained confidence.

Standing up with a fresh resolve she stood amidst the sandstorm. The world did not shatter as it had all that time ago. It merely dissolved, until she was staring at an elaborate ceiling.

"Well that was fun." She commented mildly, as if observing an interesting weather pattern.

"You're quite lovely when you cry." His emotion was indiscernible. Jareth was perched on a ledge, his lithe form stretched out lazily.

"Well if I didn't think that was one of the more creepy things I've heard in a while, I'd say thank you. However, once again here we are." She accused as she pulled her legs to herself, in control of her movements once more. "I am of course referring to being here in the labyrinth again. I have a hard time believing you would come to whisk away every person with a wish ."

"I take who I want. What I say is true. You do not have to believe it to be true." The silky caress of his voice was a trap all its own, and shuddering Sarah fought the urge to stick her tongue out at him.

Her eyes fell on the bowl of fruit, which had seemed suspicious enough before her terrible nightmare. The copious amount of fruit in the bowl would have fed two starving countries and a growing teenage boy.

"What, no vegetables? What's with you and fruits?" She croaked.

"Have you never heard of Persephone? She ate only a few seeds of pomegranate and…"

"She stayed in Hell, one month for each seed she ate…" She finished for him. Palling she distanced herself from the bowl of fruit.

"Well, as interesting as that is, I don't see what that has to do with my dreams." Summoning the last reserve of false bravado, Sarah longed to close her eyes and return to the empty abyss of sleep that she had experienced for the past few years.

"I am surprised Sarah," The way he said her name sent shivers down her spine. "Usually you comprehend much quicker than this." Raising a painted brow, the Goblin King's gaze lingered on the bowl of fruit then lifted to Sarah.

"Are those…my dreams?" She asked, somewhat disappointed that they were mere produce.

"You did not want your dreams Sarah and now you do. You are really quite fickle." Leaping suddenly from his supine position, he selected a strawberry. "Not all of them have to be nightmares; some can be sweet." The crooked grin upon his features was compelling and misplaced upon his haughty face. Leaning forward, he traced her lips. He had removed his gloves at one point. The touch ignited a fire between the two, and Jareth withdrew suddenly, mismatched eyes unreadable.

Sarah Dreamt.

* * *

Authors Note: 

Thank you very much everybody for your encouraging response to my first chapter. I greatly appreciate the constructive comments, and hope that I continue to receive such wonderful support.

As a side note, this chapter was originally called "How Jareth is an insufferable bastard." However, he wasn't as much of a jerk as I'd have liked, and it did not fit into my theme of the poem by William Yeats. Still...


	3. Where Dips the Rocky Highland

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing. Jareth, or Bowie, that sexyfacemcgee. Nor Labyrinth or any other syndicated, trademarked, and high-court worthy material. Or the poem Stolen Child. Definitely not mine.

* * *

"You can't fall asleep!" A strong baritone washed over Sarah. 

"Try and stop me." Laughing, the girl pulled a large patchwork quilt around her form and spread out wide on a large bed.

"If I fail this course my mom will kill me, and let me assure you, I am _far_ too good looking to die." Dark hair, and eyes as green as a spring promise peered with mock terror at the girl. With exasperation, he stood and grabbed ahold of the quilt. Giving it a sharp tug, he sent Sarah to the floor with a satisfying squawk of indignation.

"That's cheating," Sarah pouted, as she brushed herself off and moving back to sit at a large wooden desk.

"That's not true at all! I won against you fair and square. You weren't paying attention, you lost." He protested, and with an unguarded smile, tossed the blanket back.

"So this was the person you were going to meet?" The jealous hiss went unheard in the cheerful scene.

"You're a nice guy Derek; your mom wouldn't kill you anyway. She might you know…hurt you a bit."

"Hurt as in the Iron maiden!" He protested.

"If only we were so lucky." Jareth murmured caustically, leaning against the wall.

"Be nice." She told Jareth. "If you aren't going to help with this project you can just go home." She added, accepting his sudden appearance in her dreams as if it were natural. It all seemed normal enough for her to be at ease. If he was in that room with her, then he must have a reason to be there.

"Derek can't afford to fail this course, and I can't either. I'm even willing to spend time with you instead of failing this." With an easy smile she mocked playfully. Drawing close to Derek, she peered over his shoulder. Looking up at the girl Derek smiled, a peaceful moment passed between the two of them.

"Enough, I'll help you with this project." Jareth snarled, pushing himself between them. This startled Sarah enough to refocus on the current situation.

"Why would you help us with the project? You're not supposed to be here …you are Jareth…the Goblin King." Confused Sarah looked up from the book that had somehow appeared in her hands. "You don't exist."

"I assure you, my dear that I do," was the cultured reply. "Ah- well, I suppose you must wake up from the happy dreams more quickly than the others."

Shaking her head, Sarah backed away from him, in an almost cruel re-enactment of their reunion. "You can't keep making me dream. I'll stay in that place forever." Her voice sunk to a whisper.

"I won. I am powerful." She needed reassurance, and saying it out loud steadied her slightly.

"Your dreams have power enough, and dear Sarah," He paused, a feral grin creeping across his face. "You will stay here."

* * *

Derek awoke from the strangest dream he had ever had. The oddest part, he considered later, was that he remembered every minute detail. 

"Sarah…" He breathed, rising from his bed and pacing the length of his small apartment for the umpteenth time.

Ever since Sarah had disappeared, he had been having terrible nightmares. Two weeks had passed since she had been walking to meet him at the Den. A witness said that he had seen a girl walking rather quickly, and appeared frightened. Then, he saw a person, impossible to describe.

"He came from nowhere," was the man's statement. His alcohol blood levels tested high, and they suspected he was under the influence of a hallucinogen. Derek could not let it go.

"I saw her. I know she is alive." He murmured emphatically. The man in his dream certainly fit the drunk's description as well. He was impossible to describe. Where he was tall, he could have been short. The man could have been anything that he might have wanted to be. His hair conformed to no rules of physics, defying gravity one moment, although the next he looked it was close cropped. The man was a walking Schrödinger's cat. He was both things at once... all things at once, until he was closely observed.

Frustration rose within Derek, clenching his hands, and making his form rigid. Breathing deeply, he let the anger drain out of him. He was at a loss of what to do. Sarah had been taken from him. She had been friend and potentially more. '_Is'_ He asserted roughly. '_She is a friend.'_ The possibility of more seemed to always hover around Sarah. Not just in relationships. As if there was something beyond the dull humdrum veil of the world, and some incredible secret.

"She could have just told me. 'I'm being stalked by some psycho from a dream.' I would have believed her." He told himself, although he knew he would have believed her all the way to the loony bin. Shirking his self-pity, he refocused on his dream.

_'Jareth,'_ He thought. She had called him Jareth, The Goblin King. Something in his instincts told him to hold on to this information. Use it to his advantage. With a murmured promise, he slipped back into his bed. The hundredth time he had uttered it so that it seemed a children's prayer. "I'll bring you back Sarah, I'll bring you back."

* * *

The fruit bowl flew across the room, sailing in a beautiful arc to land with a loud crash in the corner. "What lovely form," Jareth complemented, toeing the shards. "You do need to improve your aim though." Clucking his disapproval, he sauntered from the remnants of her dreams. 

"Screw you." She bit back, anger overtaking all her fear. It had drained from her the moment she woke up. She was infuriated. "You can't keep me dreaming my entire life," She told him, brooking no argument with her tone. "I mean, I'm hardly any conversation when I'm unconscious." Sarah added convincingly.

"You are 'hardly any conversation' when you are conscious." He tossed back easily.

"Well sorry for not wishing to discuss my life with a man whose sole duty is to screw people over." Her voice was rising in pitch, and all it took all her self control from stamping her foot and pouting.

"You wished away your little brother back then. I was merely obeying your wishes." Jareth fired back, hand propping his chin, his head titled quizzically.

"You made it more difficult than was necessary! I took it back and you were determined to make me suffer."

"I still am." Simply said, it was a statement in a serious tone.

Sarah opened her mouth but could find nothing to say. Her fight left her empty, and her limbs tingled from the adrenaline rush. Finally, she found words.

"Do I have to run the Labyrinth again?" She asked.

"Hmm..." He considered this, rolling it over in his mind. The possibilities were endless. "I rather suppose you could."

"Do I get to see my old friends again?"

"They were gone long ago. That's what happens when you stop believing in something- they cease to exist."

"I stopped believing in you." Sarah felt heartbreak, her loyal companions gone by her own unfaithfulness.

"No, you did not Sarah. You believed in me. You are the magic that keeps me tied to this wretched world, linked to your infernal mortal plane." Standing suddenly, and with too much speed for Sarah to wonder at, he appeared in front of her.

"I can let you go if you tell me how. " She offered uneasily, the distance between them shrinking.

"No." Then he closed the distance, his kiss as cruel as the desert in her dreams. Seeking more, wanting and searching for something she could not name. She could describe the sensation only as feeling lost. So utterly lost that she yearned to never be found again, and always wander in the anticipation of maliciousness.

Finding her mind, she pushed against Jareth's solid mass. Breaking the contact between them, and ending her heavenly suffering. Repulsion mixed with a sudden warm interest. A hand pressed against her bruised lips, and she winced. One was bloody, and she could not tell whether it was the stranger in front of her, or herself that had bit it.Setting his jaw, Jareth's eyes blazed, illuminating the room with his very presence.

"Very well, run the Labyrinth. I'll grant you no mercy when you fail." Allowing her no time to reply, he shifted reality to the wretched land outside of the high maze walls. "But beware, you have aged, and the Labyrinth will keep pace with you. Expect no fuzzy Fieries to play games. Arson is the least of your worries now." His hand brushed through her hair, and then was gone. All of him had disappeared the moment Sarah turned to face him.

"That bastard," the girl growled. "Play with Fieries, your boney ass." With a snort, she made her way down the sand, balancing as best she could. Once on stable ground, she rushed to the wall. No Hoggle to welcome her. She trailed her hand along the wall until a break in it appeared. The clever trick had fooled her once, but not again.

"I'll have you figured out in no time." She told the walls in a cheerful manner, patting them reassuringly. The feeling she got back was less reassuring. "Fine, be crotchety." She told the otherworldly stone, stepping into the mammoth labyrinth with trepidation.

"Down the rabbit hole," Sarah breathed. Immediately in front of her was a perfect circular hole. The air shivered, a groaning warned her of change. Walls began to close in, telling her to leave or continue but not to stay still. With a murmured prayer, she rushed to the edge and peered down. Dark emptiness awaited her.

"I really hate you." She told the absent Jareth. Then, closing her eyes, she jumped down into the black hollow, and into what waited below.

* * *

Author Note: Thank you everyone for your positive reviews and much appreciated feedback! I apologise for the delay. I left my laptop in my friends car, and it took two days to get it back. Let me tell ya, it was pretty much Hell waiting for it. I hadn't realized how much I missed my pink laptop. ( I mean, pink isn't even my favorite colour really.) However, seeing the empty space on my desk made me feel really sad. So I'm glad to have my troublesome pain in the ass P.C back. I urge all to criticise as they see fit. I have no qualms about being mercilessly torn to shreds. That's how you improve right? Well...I ask you save from tearing out my vitals. I've heard they are rather...well vital- hence the name. Also, I put the poem out of order a bit. The next line would be 'For the world's more full of weeping than ye can understand.' But that's for later. 


	4. For the World's More Full of Weeping

The darkness rushed past her, stealing the shout that had torn free from her lungs. It seemed she fell forever, although she would later recall it to be a four second drop. The landing was not romanticised in any way. She hit the ground awkwardly, her knees buckling under her sudden weight. Adding gravity to the list of things she hated, she lay in the bleak and musty space for a moment. Brushing herself off, she took a quick look around.

It was not an oubliette, and for that she was grateful. She had fallen into a long corridor, stretching in both directions. She took the one she was facing, hoping that luck was on her side. She only got a few steps along before whispers arose to greet her presence.

"False alarms already?" She asked out loud, hoping to get a reassuring response. However, the whispers redoubled in quantity. It was making her nervous, and casting about she saw nothing. She started to press close to one of the walls, before it became obvious where the noise originated from.

"What are you doing in the walls?" She asked, grotesque faces staring at her with shock.

"Reckon she doesn't know what she has done."

"Not likely to either."

"Not too bright. Never was."

"Betrayed her little brother, she did."

"Selfish." The voices concluded together.

"Well, you can just shut it. I don't recall asking your opinions." Sarah shot back, feeling her heart ache slightly at the accuracy of their words. The voices did not stop though. The farther she walked along the path, the more they said. Some things that she heard were comical.

"Couldn't stop staring at his-"

"She can't stand kissers with dry lips. Or when-"

However, others cut to the marrow. Things she had said to herself about others. Things she had thought about herself. It made her feel petty and foolish, and she had tried to avoid being either. Half of her wanted to turn around that very instant, but even if she was a coward, she would not let him win. He must have known she would end up in that damned hallway.

Eventually, her anger at him washed away the voices, and became an almost kind distraction. The moment she stopped listening, the voices stopped. She did not notice for a few minutes, until the tunnel ran out. Surprised, Sarah craned her neck and took the length and height of the wall. Sighing, she put a hand in front of her and walked forward slowly. It met with solid sandstone. Her eyes widened slightly, and she lifted the other hand and pressed it too against the wall. No doorway, entrance or hidden spring anywhere.

She had hoped it would be like when she first entered the labyrinth, and optical illusions would do their best to befuddle her. She could not think of what she was missing. It had to have a purpose, all places had to have a purpose or function. A dead end served neither. For a moment, her heart seized, thinking of having to walk back the way she came.

She grew frantic, casting about on both sides, hands running against the wall until they were sore. She cursed her misfortune, as she leaned against the wall. Her mind screamed '_Almost out of time, get up and go!_'She knew she still had at least, twelve hours. '_ I__ can let myself have a break._' She rationed, sliding down the uneven wall.

Her mind skipped over her memories of the recent events, focusing instead on her last visit to the labyrinth. The small and coarse dwarf, '_or was he a goblin. I never really asked.__' _She was his first friend, and despite his little betrayals, and her cold beginning with him, she had come to consider him her own first friend as well. At least he knew the bratty side and the good side of her. The other kids at school only saw the drama queen, or the tragic failure. Ludo reminded her of a lost puppy more than a giant beast. Sir Didymus with his trusty steed Ambrosius, brought a small smile to her face. It had been real, and it had happened to her, and now she was responsible for their sad ends.

"I won't let you see me cry anymore," The girl yelled to a potentially eavesdropping Jareth, scrubbing her face angrily.

"It's not like I can get out of here anyway." Sarah added with some bitterness, trying to rally enough energy to return to standing.

"That's the problem with humans. They never look up." The gruff voice echoed along the halls, and Sarah almost choked on the air she was breathing. Tilting her head, she saw a much beloved and wrinkled face.

"Hoggle, you're still alive!" Smiling, she impatiently wiped away a few tears that had fallen despite her own forbearance.

"Well I'm here ain't I?" He asked back with irritation, although she knew he was happy to see her too.

"But Jareth said…" Sarah trailed off, her smile falling a bit. "You are real," she asked, "aren't you?"

" 'Course I em. Don't you listen to that liar, not a word." A foreign look of happiness appeared for a split second on the being's face. Then a scowl replaced it.

"Come on, we haven't got all day." He urged, gathering something at his feet. Nodding, Sarah caught a roughly woven rope that was thrown down to her.

"I missed you, Hoggle." She told him, her guilt at having forsaken them rising up to claw at her stomach.

"Yeah, yeah we missed you too. Now enough of this stuff and get up here. You're heavier than you were before. It ain't no fault of mine if I drop you."

* * *

The smile of a perfect gentleman was fixed on his features. He spoiled the effect by growling deep in his throat and throwing a small crystal across the room. It felt nice to have something to break, even though he summoned a new one again and continued to watch. 

Slowly, the girl was rebuilding the entire labyrinth and all their inhabitants. Of course, she would not realise this as it was occurring. She would start with her friends- that he knew. It would make it much more difficult to get close to her with those damned fools surrounding their precious friend.

As long as she was on her journey though, he'd be allowed to torment and tempt her. It was tradition, after all. For a moment, he felt a thread of pain in his chest. Hand fisting in the material over the troublesome muscle, he frowned. Guilt? Scoffing, he released his shirt, and set the glass ball down. He put it down to overexcitement. It had taken a great amount of effort to reassemble himself from the splintered world. He would hate to lose the self same chaotic nothingness by giving in to some human emotion.

Sarah had literally destroyed his world. She built it up and then denied him, and by doing so, rebuffed the Labyrinth itself. He did everything she asked, scrapped and bowed at the young goddess who stood beside him in terror. He collected those moments of absolute horror with delicacy and delight. Her hatred of him had been liberating at first- a challenge.

It was tedious now. It had been a slippery precipe at the beginning and he was sure of her own tumble. He had not counted on his own. Him, bound to an immortal forever? Preposterous! How could he be associated with a weak and fallible mortal? It was too ridiculous. Insane enough that he could still taste her. She was in every single molecule of his being, robbing him of sense and sanity. He would kill her to make his desire cease.

"Sarah….Sarah..." He breathed, hating her damned name. Hating the cadence and the way it fell from his_ own_ mouth like a promise. He strode across the room, settling in a throne that had not been there before. Eyes closed he leaned his head back and focused on what mattered. Yes, they would meet again and again, at least until fate had fulfilled her treacherous ways. Pending that, he would let her run about his labyrinth- fumble around the strange territories. He hated to admit how well she had done with the truth. Many people had gone insane in that first stretch.

His laugh was hollow and cold, amusement with malicious intent. Strange creatures those mortals were. They would prize it so highly in others but could never face the Truth themselves. Pity described his emotions to the fleeting insects, or would if he did not dislike them on a more base level. His kind had always existed. When little children heard the proverbial bump in the night, or saw just the tip of a shadow behind them, those were his people.

Birthed from the depths of imagination and fear, they had been mere automans at first. They acted out the tales of the fae, and other entrancing creatures. Over time they became self-sufficient; they would grow their own minds. No longer feeding on such insubstantial things as fear, they created others to do it for them. Shtrigas and Sirens – imported from the world of dreams that had reached into the days before the written record.

And that he; a timeless immortal who could be anything he desired, was tamed by a bratty child with a penchant for the fantastical – absurd. He was separate from her, above her in his very origins. Yet, he was captivated. He would have kept her forever, a perfect little doll in his world. She would have wanted for nothing, and over time would have even forgotten her own banal past. He knew that eventually her lack of spirit would have been a bore, and she would fade back into the base minerals that mankind was composed of. A pillar of salt, for the wife of Lot.

He laughed, imagining a droll and complacent Sarah blowing away in a strong gust, every bit of her gone to the four corners of the world. Immediately after, his smile became a grimace. Then he would be without her, he reminded himself. She would be all over the world, finally free. While Jareth; the king of goblins and all manner of beings, would be enslaved forever to a memory. It had become an obsession

Anger and affection feuded in his eyes as she embraced Hoggle within the weightless crystal. Yes, it was an obsession indeed. He breathed her very lust for life. She was trapped in the reality she had convinced herself was prefferable. The truth was that it restricted her. While she in his layrinth, she was the person she was always meant to be.The essence of Sarah, at home in her fairy tale world. He smirked, his gaze falling to himself. Was he to be her Prince Charming?

'_Pretty damn unlikely.'_ He thought, imagining pretty boys who ride in with painted words, offering their hearts desire for a simple kiss. He liked to think he was above that just a bit.

"You are a very good kisser." He murmured to the girl in the globe, gloved hands twisting the sphere to his preferred visuals. He subsided into silence, watching a bit longer. Arched eyebrows shot higher, and crushing a feeling of desperation, he rose from his seat.

"You will owe me for this." He promised the girl, pulling a dark cloak around his shoulders before disappearing.

* * *

I'm the Hiphopopotamos word up. Thank you everyone for your R & R's! Thank you for sticking with me this long. Sorry it took a while, I was studying for some fun midterms, and doing linguistic assignments. So...I guess the newest thing these days is my hair. It's grown significantly since I shaved it off last year in June. I'm really enjoying it actually. I get to see all the stages it goes through. I think that it's something everyone needs to do once in their life. I think I'll stick with Locks for Love after this, no more Kids Cancer Care fundraisers for me.  
I'm pretty much the biggest fan of Threadless ever. They have the most awesome shirts at Also, I reccently joined the David Bowie/ Jareth Labyrinth. A really great yahoo! community, and everyone is quite nice. I found it via a link on the authour Ergott's page. Well, best of luck and have a great weekend! 


	5. We Foot it all the Night

**Disclaimer**: Do the sexy-Jareth dance Oo Oo Do the Kristy-doesn't-own-the-sexy-Jareth-dance Oo Oo

Coincidentally enough, I also am a master at the Kristy-doesn't-own-Jim Henson-dance. You're welcome to join.

* * *

Sarah's hands found purchase on the dusty earth, heaving her own body weight out of the hole with a manly grunt. Wriggling, she kicked her legs in an effort to propel herself higher. Strong hands wrapped around the girls arm, and lifted her easily the rest of the way out of the hole.

She was set gently back down on solid ground and found herself staring into a pair of warm brown eyes. With a small shaken smile, she took in the kind face of a monster.

"Ludo, I missed you." She stated simply, arms wrapping around the giant beasts bulk.

"Ludo miss Sawah." His massive under bite necessitated the childish talk, and she rather suspected him to be on par with that of a highly intelligent animal rather than human. A small terrier type dog dressed in the manner of a knight, a large sheep dog towering over him, moved to her. Bowing gallantly, she murmured a polite greeting.

Overwhelming though the reunion was Sarah was determined to take it in stride. She rather thought that 'taking in stride' was a result of the Labyrinth. Its influence acting as calming presence, telling her _anything is possible. _She almost risked believing it.

However her first cursory glance around herself met with confusion. Things looked almost two dimensional. Putting it down to paranoia and her own imagination, Sarah closed her eyes slowly then reopened them. Things had resolved into a believable state when she let her gaze roam anew, and the event passed from her mind with ease.

Dusting her jeans, Sarah breathed a heavy sigh and nodded at her companions and with a tilt of her head indicated they should continue on their merry way. Buoyed by the friendly talk, catching up on lost times, Sarah failed to recognize the distance they had travelled. When she finally cast her eyes to the sky, she realized with a shock that it was twilight. Illogically, she thought that the night would never come as she had never seen it before. It merely seemed to be day, or dusk.

With a feeling of unease growing, she fell back into the circle of her friends, no longer leading. The comfortable press of others only lightly stilled her hearts trouble. "Where is everybody else?" the stillness disturbed her as much as the voices in the walls. '_There should be more noise…sounds that prove the existence of something…'_ The simple absence of rustling in the underbrush set her on edge.

Telling herself that she was being played by Jareth was enough to get her to relax slightly. '_That bastard wouldn't be opposed to messing with my mind in any way he could.'_ She growled to herself, forcing her spine to straighten and to combat her fear that had almost overwhelmed her.

The providential return of her friends seemed to herald a reversal of fortunes, and grasping at this small hope, Sarah reformed her vision to rest on that of the far off castle. Taking stock of her surroundings, she realized with a start that she knew exactly where they were. '_Just there_,' she noted shading her eyes from the strange light filtering through the trees, was where she had collapsed. A twisted dream filling her mind with desires and hopes that she prayed would never be realized. In the same way her heart beat in a terrified tempo at the memory of her first feelings as an adult, so did it beat now.

It felt like some inexplicable change was occurring again and if she did not fight hard enough she would undoubtedly be a part of it.

"Does anyone remember how to get to the castle?" Sarah asked, turning to look at her friends. For a moment, she could swear they were transparent but the feeling passed and she was looking at corporeal forms once more.

"M'lady hast no need to fear," the small animal proclaimed boldly, "a knight always the way." Hiding a smile, Sarah nodded.

"Toad spit, you got no idea where we are at all." Hoggle accused, tromping ahead.  
"I sez we go that way." He lifted a stubby finger to indicate a clear path, few roots obscuring the way and very little deadfall.

"Thou whilst make a mockery of thineself shouldst thou direct us unto such a fake transverse." Sir Didymus crowed, turning on Hoggle.

"Who died and made you king of roads? I know what I know and I know that _that_ is the right way."

Ludo sat down heavily, evidently preparing for a long bout of argument, and Sarah could not blame him.

"You two, stop this right now. I don't have much time. We'll flip a coin, okay?" Fishing in her pocket, her hand closed around a vaguely circular shape, and pulling it out she scowled at it. The head looking back at her was that of an arrogant ruler she knew only too well.

"Heads is Hoggle, tails is Sir Didymus." Sarah called, flipping the coin a tad more enthusiastically that a normal coin would have had to deal with. It landed face up, and with a scowl she turned to the two of her companions.

"Its tails," she lied, not willing to take instructions from any form of Jareth, metal or otherwise.  
Sir Didymus puffed his chest, proud as if it were his own doing the coin had directed his choice. Muttering under his breath, Hoggle began to make his way along Sir Didymus' path.

Helping Ludo stand, Sarah followed behind her friends. With a fond smile, she watched them bickering, Ludo oblivious to them and looking around instead. She was unable to contemplate them further though, as the world turned upside down.

Before she realized she was in a terrible amount of pain she was swinging around inverted, with a snare around her left ankle.

A lot of words left her mouth, including some that were illegal in some countries.

"Ha," Shouted a being, which jumped into view. When it saw that it had caught her it began doing a strange sort of victory dance. It was streaked with primary colours, its clothes a tattered array of odds and ends. When she felt nausea build within her, she was released to fall on the hard ground with a muffled "oomph."

"Ludo, Hoggle, Sir Didymus!" Sarah cried, her voice rising at the end of the shout in fear.

''Ludo, Hoggle, Sir Dididi," the creature mocked, its squeaky voice partly insane and partly cruel.

"Oooh-- yes, yes, yes, lots of meat, lots of food." It squealed, overjoyed. Sharp fingers probed her ribcage, and for an absurd moment she felt offended.

'_There isn't lots of meat…'_ She wanted to say. She was however, distracted by the appearance of a sharp blade. '_Oh shit.' _

Struggling to her feet she made the mistake of acting like she was not injured, and ended up putting all the weight on her ankle. With a screech she lurched forward and fell to the ground once more. The resulting string of profanities stopped the creature a moment in awe. Then it began to advance on her once again.

"A feral Goblin?" A voice asked disbelieving. "You are being attacked by a feral goblin—and you cannot protect yourself?" The voice was an instant catalyser; the creature began to gibber and then ran off into the bushes.

"I think I broke my foot, and I think that I've lost Hog— " With an audible click, Sarah shut her mouth. Her brain began to work furiously.

'_He must have been watching this whole time.'_ She thought angrily.

"What did you do to my friends?" She demanded, receiving only a mocking silence in return. Frowning, she moved to stand, only to buckle under the pain.  
The monarch moved to help her, but she held Jareth at bay with a sharp look and a warding hand. With a scowl, Jareth motioned to her left. Following his dismissive gesture, a staff unobtrusively rested against a tree. It was fare enough that she would have to suffer a few moments of pain to make it, but not far enough to seem sadistic.

"You have my gratitude." She said as if to the air.

"I'll have the rest of you soon enough," was Jareth's growled response. Ignoring the quickening of her heartbeat, Sarah dragged herself over to the staff and used it to prop her up. She could not help but notice the intricate designs along the wood. As she hauled her way up along the staff, she eyed the figures as they danced around the circumference of the sweetly scented rod.

"Concentrate on your friends, instead of imminent doom. They will appear again." Inscrutable eyes peered at Sarah, offering nothing of their usual mockery or cold calculation. A flicker of desire might have passed through them but it was gone too quickly to gauge.

"Sense making you do not." She muttered in response, using the syntax of Yoda. It was still a favourite of hers, and with the VHS waiting for her at home she found a newfound desire to return home.

"Sarah, I do not take kindly to those who show no gratitude, and even less do I appreciate rudeness." Jareth hissed, voice cutting the air harshly.

"Find your companions, and fail. I do not wish to save you again." The chilled the cockles of her heart, and she leaned away from him in lieu of the retreat she could not make quickly.

One moment Jareth was across from her, looking though her with an angry visage. His strides ate up the ground between them she found herself pressed against a tree. Struggling, Sarah could feel no give against the brick wall of a man. Leaning down, he claimed one kiss from her lips. It was surprisingly chaste, and it left the girl stunned.

Stepping away, the Goblin King smiled and told her, "That kiss took an hour. You are falling behind tick tock tick tock." His Cheshire grin was the last she saw of him before she hurled a heavy rock at his now vacant space.

"I hate you!" She strangled out, forcing herself to regrow the bones in her legs and replace that jelly with flesh. Glowering at the now Jareth-less area, she grudgingly took his advice and heaved herself up to a full standing position. Concentrating on her friends-- their form and faces, she felt something akin to falling. Her stomach dropped out from her body and was filled with achingly cold pressure. Then the feeling was gone and she heard the distress of her entourage.

Dreading having to open her eyes, she felt the first inkling that something was going on beneath the surface of the Goblin King's games. An inexplicable web that rooted things surely in its place and it was with despair that Sarah knew she was a part of it.

* * *

Thank you everyone for your patience! I'm sorry that it has taken so long. Exams and essays and all other sorts of things have been demanding my soul. I'll try to update sooner next time!

Also, I appreciate all the wonderful response I have received, and constructive criticism is more than welcome. May your days be soul-sucking-demonless.


	6. To and Fro we Leap

Disclaimer: General Disclaimer. I don't own epic awesomeness in the form of Jareth or Sarah or muppets. I do however want a pair of grumpy old men to constantly wisecrack at my school. And Jareth...but that is not as G rated as the old men.

* * *

After the first wave of vertigo passed, Sarah found that she could enjoy the open air around her. Sure, the wall was crumbling beneath her feet, and yes, she had not spontaneously grown wings but it was safe. She felt more solid and present miles above the ground than she had whilst still in contact with the earth.

Sarah and her entourage arrived at the disintegrating stonework sometime during the night, and it had taken some clever devising to reach the top of the wall. At first she had been stumped, looking up at the intimidating edifice and wondering how they would be able to surmount such a structure.  
Sir Didymus had volunteered to scale the wall, while Hoggle opted to walk around it; Sarah had questioned the amount of time it would have taken to walk around the beast of a wall. Ludo was the one who finally came up with a solution. Sitting down, he began to pull long vines from the strange trees overhead with colours too obscene to name

Sarah had expected him to manipulate the stones, but later reflected it was probably for the best that they had not tampered with the structural integrity of the wall.  
'_Especially,'_ she thought, '_now that I'm up here with nothing but my feet and flailing arms to keep me up.'_ 

They made short time to the Bog of Eternal stench, which, she thought with sarcasm, must be a milestone on every grand journey. She was somewhat heartened to be so close to the castle, and if she listened intently, she could hear the delicate calls of a bird. It eased her nerves to hear the normal – or not so normal—sounds of nature. Given the chance to explore Sarah would have delighted in finding so many species around her.

'_It probably looks like a cat or something unexpected though,'_ she told herself, expecting a flying feline to launch itself from the foliage within the second. '_His royal Highness would just love to give us tro— no. No. No. No. No. No. Not going there.' _Sarah cut off the thought before it could progress any further. Things being as they were--'_and being damned confusing too,'_ Sarah added on mentally, she seriously doubted her own sanity.

The powers of creation she had long been taught were not at the behest of mere mortals now seemed tame beneath her own will. She could not imagine the wall away; it was too solid in her mind to comprehend banishing. The power was too vague for her to grasp total understanding of it and for this she was at least glad. '_It's easier to ignore if I can't do it all the time.'_ Sarah informed herself '_thanks, I knew that,' _she replied to herself.

"Perhaps this is some trick…" She mused aloud, drawing attention back to where her next step would be.

"What'd you say?" Hoggle shouted, the distance between them more than a few feet. Hoggle seemed uncomfortable on the wall, although Sarah rather thought it her own absurd nature that was able to relax so far above ground. Then again, she and Hoggle had fallen quite a distance on her first visit. The convenient position of a then lost Ludo had saved them both from falling head first into the bog.

When a misplaced foot brought sobriety back to her elated musings, the girl scolded herself soundly and concentrated on the subtly de-elevating wall. Ludo had been following beside the group on the other side of the wall, better suited to the sharply cruel stones that pushed against it. His leathered feet and thick skin brushed past the jagged granite and shale and it taxed him no more than what could have been a leisurely stroll through the park near her old house.

* * *

Derek was almost out of his mind with worry. Book after book that he scoured showed no results. 'Goblin Queens and Queens related to goblins, No problem. A guy named Jared? Oh, he had found aplenty. Jareth though, the King of Goblins, none. Zero.

"Where are you, you freaky bastard?" He growled, leaning forward to massage his head and clear his mind. Four months ago, Sarah had gone missing. The closest thing to a sister he had ever had, and he could do nothing to help her. Could she have been more to him? He would never know and the rage was eating away at him. His normally amiable personality warped to short tempered and sharp. Leaving the campus library he reflected that he might have lost his mind and it was only a short while until he realized it- or at least until he started hallucinating.

Groaning his frustration, Derek hitched his shoulder bag higher up and began the trek to his dorm room. Regrets and desires flooded through him, and the wish that he could just forget about Sarah and everything that might have been. It was a brief thought and he killed it before he could even reflect over it. Sarah was more important to him than a few easy nights. Her family had been wracked with grief at her abduction. Her little brother was absolutely frantic, and although he had never said as much out loud, Derek suspected he agreed with the intoxicated witness.

Something strange had happened to Sarah, he just knew it somehow. She had always been able to avoid harm, whether she was at a concert entangled in a violent mosh pit, or running with scissors. It was almost supernatural- her talent for staying alive despite all odds. Shaking his head, Derek scrapped a key into the lock of his small room and pushed it open, waiting until he was inside to sigh again.

"Black is the colour of my true love's hair," he sung beneath his breath, an old tune worming its way into his mind. He hummed the bittersweet song as he made the journey to the kitchen. Flicking the switch to 

heat up the stagnant water in the kettle, he finally settled into a threadbare chair. His thoughts inevitably turned back to Sarah, lingering on a small hideous desire he could not hide, a body. Something… anything that would give him a sense of closure or peace-- none of which could he attain while scouring mouldering texts for the mention of the subject of a drugged man's ravings. Should he give up and accept her loss? Would she ever return to him? Would she still be his?

"I hate this!" He yelled, the queries circling endlessly like vultures offering no respite. Hands fisted in his hair, his teeth grinding with frustration. Finally after a moment of quivering tension, Derek heaved a breath and deflated sinking into the chair. He allowed himself then, the tears which had refused to come months before. "Goodbye, Sarah."

* * *

"I have no idea where I am going," Sarah finally announced, the perpetual seeming twilight hopelessly highlighting how lost she felt. Not only has she wasted precious time, but it seemed that time itself pitied her so much that it gave her the grace of not changing.

"Well that ain't good news. I toldya we shoulda walked 'round. But no, you had to have it your way, didntcha?" Hoggle grunted, his stern lecture underlined by his laborious breathing.

In the back of her mind Sarah laughed off Jareth's words. '_I created a disagreeable creature like him for a companion? I must have had issues.' _Brushing off further disquieting thoughts, Sarah bit her lip as she looked around.

"I thought I knew the way…but I guess I didn't know much at all." She admitted, sheepish and apologetic.

A quick glance to the right showed the murderous shale upon which Ludo was happily walking. The right boasted a long drop and a quick stop. Neither of which she was eager to try her luck on, and with a slightly queasy smile over her shoulder to her friends, she decided to press on, thinking that all walls must end. The contemplation of falling had filled her stomach with the very air she had only moments before danced about her. One by one her doubts assailed her and she found her steps becoming heavier and heavier.

When she finally roused herself from her introspection of fears she saw to her great surprise a wooden ladder and the final remains of their elevated road. The great wall had crumbled and ended the separation of the forest and treacherous rock. Feeling her spirits lift, she clamoured down the ladder, cheerfully blocking out the sounds of Hoggle complaining, and Sir Didymus making flowery speeches towards the virtue of ladders and walls, and virtue itself. Walking along the green earth, she noticed that at seemingly random intervals the ground dropped away. Confused momentarily she looked out over the field and with a start comprehended where she was.

"Guys, we're on top of the labyrinth." Turning around she saw the same shocked reaction that she felt.  


"Lady Sarah, is it safe?" Sir Didymus questioned, shrugging a shivering Ambrosius from his back. With a confidence she certainly did not feel, Sarah took a step over the edge of one insanely high hedge and onto the top of another. In her mind the scenario ended with her plummeting to the earth, the echo of Jareth's laugh ringing out over the foliage. Reality was much more anti-climactic and safe. Turning around, sighing quietly from relief, she beckoned to her friends.

"Come on, it's easy." She encouraged, giving a pitying glance to Ludo."I know its high up, you can do it," Sarah called to the lumbering beast. Something flashed in front of her face, and for a brief second Ludo looked like a larger bear. Blinking several times, she put it down to exhaustion and pressed on. It seemed as if all the time wasted in the forest was made up just walking over the maze.

Quite a few times she looked behind her to see a bear, a terrier, and a withered short man. The only unchanged beings in the group were Merlin the dog, and herself. Each evaluating glance she cast was met by confusion and inquiries into her health. When finally the sky fixed pathway drew them to the walls of the castle Sarah had ceased looking back at all, finding the changes too unnerving. The gates to the Goblin City were thrown open in what she thought of as defiance.  
'Come in,' they said. 'You'll be a fool twice over.' For no other reason than sheer stubbornness, she took 

them up on their offer.

"Lower me down would you, Ludo?" She asked. Her eyes were fixed on the disturbingly quiet castle ahead. A vast hairy paw encircled her hand, and turning, Sarah felt a shriek jump from her. Growling, what she thought had been an overworked brain had actually been a bear. Obligingly, it lowered her to a distance where it was safe to fall to the ground.

"Thanks…Ludo?" The creature nodded, the small terrier coming to stand beside it.

"Listen, I'm going to head to the castle. I'll meet you guys there. I need to have a bit of a talk with the Goblin King." Her feelings of malcontent intensified when Hoggle leaned over the edge, his wrinkle lined face belying great age.

'_He changed them because I cheated the Labyrinth,'_ She raged. '_This is going to end poorly for him.'_

* * *

Sorry everyone for the long wait! I just had no idea where I was going, but I've found it. This chapter is...unfortunately the bit that was caught in the cross hairs of uninspiration so yeah...I hope it didn't drag too much. Anyway, I have a direction, so rejoice!

Also, Extra cred for guessing what song Derek is singing. No cheating either.

P.S. This isn't the last you'll see of him either.


	7. Mingling Hands and Mingling Glances

Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the laptop I wrote this on.

* * *

Leaving behind her friends made her feel vulnerable and tired. Their reunion hours prior had touched her and she had not realized how sad their absence had made her during all those years.

"Well, it follows that I would have to find him all by my lonesome," she told herself, crossing her arms protectively over her chest.

The cobbled road led past the gate and twisted and turned, loosing itself among goblin huts and houses. It was silent, and once more the overwhelming sense of emptiness in the Labyrinth returned. Her friends had disappeared from the horizon, and it took a great deal of effort to press on, knowing that she could go back to the safety of her friends at any moment.  
Reaching within, she recalled her prior triumph, the feeling of reclaiming her little brother and putting that terrible man in his place. It gave her the strength to pass through the goblin village. Roughly thatched houses made of mud, stone and straw stood as a silent witness to her arrival into the final stretch of the challenge. Whereas her previous labyrinth journey had been a great physical test, she felt the effects of the doubt and fear she had faced during her second attempt.

"Oh stop it, you're just feeling sorry for yourself." She chastised withdrawing from her internal ruminations and focusing on the imminent towering castle. It dominated the small hamlet which pressed upon it like children clutching at a mother's skirt. The subtle tapping of her feet upon the stones echoed back to her in a startling way. The sound seemed to cut itself and redouble like a scratched record. This in itself was unnerving, but as she grew closer to the castle the sky began to darken. Looking behind herself she saw the pitch black of night approaching with a fast-forward speed.

Picking up her heels she started at a brisk walk before breaking into a jog. Careening carelessly around corners, she finally slammed into the wall of the castle. A foolish thought of: '_home free'_ rung in her head as she pushed away from the solid wall and took stock of her body. Glaring at the sandstone and marble monstrosity, she began to examine the impenetrable building for the door she had used before. It was closed off, effectively separated from the troubles of others.

"Don't be silly, you can't expect me to scale the walls, can you?" Looking up, she saw an indistinct shape in the window.  
"I'm not climbing up there, you hear?" She yelled. The figure on the sill twitched, the profile still in shadow. A soft "Very well," whispered behind her shoulder, making her jump. Spinning around, she could find no origin for the words, but returning her gaze upward, she saw a rope ladder had been lowered from the window. If she jumped, she would be able to reach it, she reasoned.

Taking a deep breath she leaped for the ends of the ladder and succeeded only in scraping her hands along the wall. Hissing from the pain, she tried again, this time securing the end of it. Using what little upper body strength she had and scrabbling her feet along the wall, she managed to pull herself up to the first rung. The effort of the exercise combined with her panicked run moments earlier had left her breathless. Clinging to the untrustworthy rope, her limbs trembled from exhaustion. Promising herself the longest bath in the history of steaming baths, she began the ascent to the tower. It felt as if she were the prince from Rapunzel, coming to rescue the damsel from her prison of gild. Finally heaving herself over the ledge of the window and falling ungracefully to the other side, she lay panting on the ground. She had made it into the castle; she just prayed that she still had time. Finally forcing herself to move from the floor, Sarah noticed that she had merely come full circle. The familiar quarters of the Goblin King unassumingly stared back at her.

'_Who…?'_ Sarah felt eyes on her, tracing the symmetry of her body and evaluating her for its own amusement.

"I see you have managed to stumble home, little one." A silky voice stroked her from the shadows, disappearing again to leave her cold and to wonder at the word _home_.

"Come out Jareth, I've won." Sarah called bravely, hoping that it was the truth and she had won after all. She was still in the Labyrinth, and the world did not explode into fragments of imagination as it had done that day years ago. Fumbling about her she used a nearby table to drag herself to stand.

"I wonder about that, dear Sarah…that you have won, that is." A smile appeared briefly on his face, changing his leer into something more terrifying. He was clothed in dark leather pants that left nothing to the imagination. An open peasant shirt hinted at the muscled form beneath, leading her thoughts to places her mind shied away from. Jareth caught her gaze, his smile telling her that he knew exactly what she was thinking. Colouring, she quickly turned defensive and brought a hand up as if she were warding him off.

Jareth's grin flickered and extinguished, bleakness drenching the fire of his eyes. "Oh little one, young one." His words became a whisper, until a final heartbreaking name finally left him, "Mortal one."

Spooked, Sarah withdrew further from Jareth, not trusting him and herself even less.  
"What do you mean," She asked, forcing courage into her spin, straightening up. "Mortal one?"

"Ah Sarah, sweet innocent doomed Sarah," he intoned morosely.

"Would you stop speaking like I'm going to die?" Sarah levelled a glare at the Goblin King.

"But you are." He rejoined simply.

"And you aren't?"

"No. Never. Not until I want to, and I do not."

"Scared?" Sarah asked derisively, a grin pulling at the thought of Jareth cowering from something.

"No, it would just be dull. How banal, to die for love," Scoffed Jareth, waving a hand vaguely as if to illustrate his contempt for the concept.

"Nothing is wrong with dying for love," Sarah protested.

"Sarah, grow up. Dying is taking the easy way out."

"I suppose…" Sarah trailed off, feeling foolish.

"You were thinking it was romantic?" His voice piqued at the end, turning his question into scorn.

"Look at Romeo and Juliet" Sarah protested, scrabbling for something.

"Ah, yes, Romeo how quickly he forsook his Rosaline for Juliet." Pityingly said, it only served to raise her ire.

Shaking her head, Sarah pressed a hand to her temple. "You're getting off topic, why all this talk of love and death?"

"I will die for love of you, and that is your fault."

"Love? I was a stupid child; I didn't realize I was cursing you to love me. I'll make it go away…somehow. I promise."

"It is quite trite, having to repeat to you that I do not wish to forget. I've been changed and that alteration is accountable for my desires- and such dark desires they are."

Her heart stopped as his heated gaze fell on her, sweeping across her.

"That…that wasn't my doing…I was innocent then." She protested weakly, recalling her childish play and how she had yearned for a dark lover, not knowing what it was.

"You are completely culpable," Jareth countered, shifting from dangerous to playful.

"The way you smile, slow like the rising of the sun. I love that smile." He drew close and unable to think much less move, Sarah let him.

"Oh Sarah, dear, please do not look like that. Like a poor animal in the glare of hunter." His tone was sweet and derisive, his eyes unreadable.

"Did you do something to me?" She asked, suddenly afraid, her limbs locked. Jareth's laugh was bitter, drawing ever closer.

"I fell in love with you after I fell in love with you, how pitiful." He loomed over her figure, his painfully gaunt cheekbones cutting the air. He moved slowly, afraid to startle her. Softly, so softly, he pressed his lips against hers. Sarah felt as if she had been submerged in cold water, the shock and intensity of his kiss simultaneously elated and condemned her. She felt she would never be free from that moment in time, finding herself drawn to Jareth and pressing herself against him. His arms wrapped around her, one hand cushioned her head, the other pulling her waist in towards him. Breaking contact, Jareth leaned down, his voice soft in her ear.

"And your eyes, so fluid. Even if you lie to me, I can see the truth in those honest eyes of yours." A kiss over each eyelid. In the distance where her consciousness was, Sarah knew she must flee. That this surely was a trap, and she would be made to suffer as she had made him. It was her traitorous body that leaned towards him, turning her face up like a flower to the sun.

"Your hair, so plain at first, catches the light, changing from black to gold, my lovely shifter." He gathered her hair in his palm, wrapping it around his fist. Expecting violence, she flinched, but he only lifted the strands to his lips and bestowed his blessing to them as well.

"I obviously didn't create you; everything you say is so cliché." She lamely tossed out, unwilling to lose herself within his words. '_Painted words.'_ She told herself.

"You ruin the moment, Sarah." He scolded, an arched brow sweeping up.

"I just want to go home. I don't want anything. I don't want this place or any of its strangeness. I just want to go back to my normal self-involved life before anything to do with the Labyrinth." It sounded like she was whining, but she was beyond being dignified and Sarah could no longer stand the effect of her frayed nerves. Pushing against him and leaving the shelter of his arms, Sarah crossed her own, ignoring the idiot in her who demanded her return to his side.

"Oh Sarah, I told you that your eyes cannot lie to me." Jareth's voice held pity, as if Sarah had been caught doing something she could not help.

"I just want to go home." She reasserted firmly, drawing herself up to her full height and taking an aggressive stride forward. Placing herself in front of Jareth she glowered and wished she had a sharp implement with which to threaten him.

"Do you even know how long you have been gone, Foolish girl?" Jareth returned her look with one of his own. "How long your little trip through the labyrinth took this time?"

Sarah paled, she had taken for granted that time would go by quickly in the Labyrinth while time in her world would slowly follow.

"How long have I been gone?" She asked, voice shaking.

"Half a year in your mortal time," he told her plainly. His voice held no sympathy and for that Sarah was glad. It made it easier to hate him.

"Take me back." Sarah calmly demanded, although her eyes flashed dangerously. Her mind was full of her family, '_Oh God,_ _they must be so worried! They'll probably think I'm dead! School will probably have kicked me out!'_ Sarah ran her hands through her hair in a frustrated manner, horrifying imaginings circling about in her mind.

"I do not control time for your pleasure." Jareth coolly replied. He retreated to a chair that had moments before not existed. It dominated the room, decorated as it was with the bones of small mammals, and dark feathers. He brushed a speck if imaginary dust from his leather pants before his attention was drawn to what might have once been the head of a vole.

"Sarah, I can take you away from all of this mortal misery," he offered, not looking away from the pearlescent thing in his hand. "Destined to wither and die- a short lived blossom in the winter. I just have to pluck you from that place and you will bloom forever here. No sorrow or pain."

"No, no, no, no!" Shaking her head like a child, she fisted her hands in her dress and tried to mask her fear.

"Why would you even want any of that?" Jareth asked, not elaborating on what 'that' was.

"I want all of it," she shouted, hoping volume would mask the temptation to let it all disappear. "It is not worth anything if I can't have both. I want the pain and the sorrow and I want to age and yes, to die."

"You are too young to know what you want." Jareth snarled, the skull he was examining shattering in his hand.

"One by one your bones will break. Your hair will fall out, and your eyes will fail. Your joints will ache and your teeth will mould. So proud and tall you stand before me, but soon your spine will bend until it snaps. Oh yes, you are eager for this, aren't you?" Sarcasm more biting than acid assaulted her, washed over her and began to eat at her solid defences.  
"I offer you the chance to always be young. Always be beautiful and charming-"  
"and no longer human? No. I love what I am. I'll die and die with no regrets. That is a promise."

A snarl that showed a flash of hurt spread over Jareth's features. "Do not make promises you cannot keep. I'm tired of games and I'm tired of waiting for you to decide what it is you truly want. This world needed you, but do not presume too much."

"What, that I control them? That bull shit again? Ha, you are absolutely crazy."

"I wonder who to thank for that."

"I didn't create you."

"You are right, girl. You created the world and changed your 'friends' to your liking, but I am not so easily altered, Sarah. I've felt it before….your will surrounding me, trying to force me into your predestined caricature of me. Cruel and heartless, repentant and whipped like a dog. Yes, many times, but I am not either of those creatures you wish to shift me to. I can be cruel, and heartless. I have been boundlessly before you, and will be after. I've repented when I think I have wronged, but not much has been wrong to me. Never whipped nor contrite. Passive and tame, never."

* * *

I've had Moloko's Over and Over stuck in my head this whole chapter, as well as Emiliana Torrini's Me and Armini... that, and Silent Hill's Letter from Lost Days. It's hardcore guys. Don't do it…but seriously do.

A bit of fluff this chapter, but I hope it didn't drive anyone away. Thank you everyone for your kind reviews, and please continue to criticize and comment. It gives me something to aim for every time! Take care, lovely readers, my sweet September Sylphs, my October ...organists…


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